The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was recently approved via the South African Parliament which is now just waiting around to become signed into legislation via the President.

The Act will introduce considerable variations to your South African Schools Act along with the Employment of Educators Act to better align with contemporary academic desires and worries.

Critical provisions with the BELA Bill include things like:

Compulsory Grade R: The Bill causes it to be mandatory for youngsters to start school at Grade R, with formal penalties for folks who are unsuccessful to enroll their children​​.

Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on bela bill corporal punishment and prohibits other varieties of punishment that will belittle learners​.

Language Policy: School governing bodies (SGBs) will continue to determine the language policy of schools, but these policies must be approved by the head of the education department. This aims to ensure that language policies do not discriminate and are inclusive.

Learner read more Pregnancy: Contrary to some public misconceptions, the Bill does not give schools control over a learner’s decision regarding abortion. It does, however, address the management of learner pregnancies in schools​.